


The Name Does Not Make the Man

by Processpending



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Brightwell, Brightwell at the end, Depression, Eventual Brightwell, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Suicide Attempt, Team Bonding, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Processpending/pseuds/Processpending
Summary: What happens if after Ainsley's interview people figured out that Malcolm Bright and Malcolm Whitly were one and the same?"Malcolm wasn't one for personal notes. He didn't use them for reminders, or jotting down his grocery list. He'd yet to leave one for a lover. And he'd never left one to say goodbye."
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 42
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In case you missed the notes, this fic deals with a suicide attempt. If this will trigger you please be safe and do what's best for you.

Malcolm had forgotten about Ainsley's interview until the site of his shattered television greeted him, recalling the memory of his mother from three nights before. _"I thought we agreed to avoid watching this garbage.”_ He didn't need the TV to tell him what he already knew, people were connecting the dots, rumors and looks spreading. _He was a Whitly._

Hands shaking so badly he can hardly open his bottles, the pills dancing inside as he tried to shake out the correct dose. He had to go, they had a case. A case he could lose himself in, a case where his team already knew and (mostly) accepted him for who blood made him. 

With a deep breath to reset the day, Malcolm opens his eyes and plucks his daily affirmation from the stand, "I show my family how much I love them in all the verbal and non-verbal ways I can." 

Today was decidedly _not_ his day.

o~O~o

The crime scene was captivating, a model mimicking the campaign that made her career, but why? Malcolm studies the scene, walking through the beginnings of his profile when they’re interrupted by a man claiming to be her boyfriend downstairs. 

Malcolm follows Gil down the stairs, quickly spotting the group struggling against the barrier, insistent they get inside.

“The killer used Tatiana's corpse to recreate your first campaign. What are you afraid of, Axel?” Malcolm knew he shouldn’t have pushed, knew the words were wrong as soon as he said them even without the disappointed look Gil gave him.

"I know you. You're that dude's kid, the Surgeon. Man, his sister is the one all over the news." Joey's calculating look turns appraising. For once, Malcolm keeps his mouth shut, more out of shock than self-preservation, he hadn't realized it'd gained traction already. "Man, the cops got killers working for 'em now. That’s it, we’re out.” With that the bodyguard ushers the group down the sidewalk leaving Bright the new focus of the investigation and any hope of getting a real reaction undermined by his own existence. 

Malcolm knows what’s coming even before Gil says it, “Bright,” Malcolm jams his hand into his pocket, hoping to stave off the shaking. “Axel-”

“Isn’t going to talk as long as I’m involved and I blew whatever chance we had of getting a reaction from him. _I know._ ” He doesn’t mean to snap those last words. “Sorry. I just….”

“What’s going on with you?” Gil knows it’s a dumb question, the kid clearly isn’t ok. The bullpen behaved like a highschool, the conversation suspiciously dropping off at Bright’s arrival, all attention drawn to him.

“Nothing. I’m fine.” Malcolm pats the air, a placating gesture if his hand weren’t shaking and his eyes weren’t frantic. Gil studies him for a long moment, knowing Malcolm is very much not fine, but there’s not much he can do and he now has a case he has to fix. “Come on, I’ll take you home.” 

o~O~o

"Bright's being weird again." Dani announces, frowning at the text on her phone, drawing Gil's attention. He'd felt bad sending the kid home, but after Axel’s bodyguard had started making a scene about Bright's real name he had no choice. Not if they wanted their investigation to actually be about Axel. 

"When is he _not_ weird?" JT mutters, still working the scene. Dani kept frowning at her phone but something in Gil can't let it go, not without checking in first. Maybe he can get dinner with him, fill him in on the case on an informal level. Pulling out his phone he finds a text waiting for him.

**City Boy:**

_I know it wasn't easy, not then and not all the time in between. I really appreciate everything-_

Gil doesn’t read further, jamming the call button he puts the phone to his ear. It rings itself into voicemail and Gil terminates the call, jabbing the _Call Again_ button. The seemingly endless ringing is interrupted by another tone, pulling his phone away Gil finds Jessica's name filling his screen. It's with hope that he answers.

"Jessica."

"Where is my son?" 

Gil's eyes close on the crime scene, "I sent him home."

"He texted me, Gil. _I love you._ I...I can't-" Gil knows what she's going to say, the fear was already threatening to overwhelm him. She couldn't find him. Not again. 

"I've got him." He quickly realizes his mistake, "I'll go, I'll find him. Stay put, I'll-" He can't bring himself to say the words because if he does then they're admitting they've failed him. Again. "Call." He finishes weakly, though they both know that's not what he'll do. Not first. 

Gil hangs up the phone and finds himself next to his car, not realizing he'd fled the scene, Dani eyeing him over the top of it. He doesn't have the time to argue, "Have an ambulance sent to Bright's apartment."

o~O~o

This wasn't the first time he'd thought of killing himself with pills, this was simply the first time he'd thought about it with intention rather than accidentally. 

He'd always been careful to get the right cocktail of pills, but this required a different kind of careful. Too many of one and his body would reject them, leaving him a further broken mess. Too few and he would have to face another failure.

The pills look odd before him; filling his small pill plate like a twisted offering. He could sort them back into their respective bottles and no one but him would know. But he's enough and so he turns his mind to the words.

The texts weren't anything special, they were things he'd always felt, no new revelations in the face of death. It was just that declarations made people uncomfortable, but he wouldn't be around for that. And _he_ needed them to know. 

He takes the first few pills, staring at the five simple words.

_Thanks for being my friend._ Send.

A few more pills, his stomach burning, protesting the volatile blend.

_I love you._

The next round of pills. There's something reassuring about the plate looking almost like a normal morning dose.

This one is the hardest. Nothing sounds big enough, nothing captures just how much Gil has done for him, how much he appreciates all Jackie and Gil did for him... _after._

_I know it wasn't easy, not then and not all the time in between. I really appreciate everything you and Jackie did for me. You've been like a father to me and I wouldn't have made it without you in my life. I love you._

It takes Malcolm three tries to hit the send button, his hands trembling as his body fights to maintain function. 

There are just two pills left but his mouth waters and he swallows thickly. He counts them over and over, finding the rhythm of the numbers soothing. His usually nimble fingers chase them round and round the dish, finally he concedes and picks up the small plate, giggling at the simplicity of the gesture as he tips it back, swallowing the remaining pills.

_"I show my family how much I love them in all the verbal and non-verbal ways I can."_ He plucks the affirmation off the counter, he'd forgotten to throw the card away in his rush this morning but now it seems to mock him as much as his still broken TV. 

A heaviness is settling into Malcolm's limbs that makes him yearn for his bed, this will be the first time in years he'll lay down without the restraints tethering him. The first step off the barstool is longer than Malcolm remembers, hand scrabbling for purchase on the counter to keep him up. 

It takes him longer than he knows it should to regain his legs, his walk to the bed turning into a stumble the closer he gets. Sunshine chirps happily from her cage when he passes. 

Sunshine.

He'd forgotten about her. It's too late to do anything now, his phone back on the counter and who would he even ask? She'll be fine, he has to trust that someone will take her...maybe Edrisa.

Malcolm wasn't one for personal notes. He didn't use them for reminders, or jotting down his grocery list. He'd yet to leave one for a lover. And he'd never left one to say goodbye.

His foot catches on the step up to his bed, sending him sprawling across the mattress in an uncoordinated flailing of limbs, by some grace he misses the restraints flung across his bed. He drags himself up towards his pillows out of habit, rolling onto his back in the hopes of easing the pressure on his chest. 

He lets his eyes fall closed, before forcing them open one final time. The girl in the box waits there for him and he can't bear the thought that she will be the final thing his conscious mind sees; he'll see enough of her once he's gone. He'd taken so many mornings outside his window for granted, but now all he wants is to see the sky. His head pounds in time with his heart, a staccato beat that turns his stomach, but after years of gnawing neglect, it's nothing new. 

Contrary to his namesake, Malcolm preferred rainy days. He relished the hush that fell over the usually bustling city, the near expectation that one should curl up with a book. A smile weakly tugged at his lips, the day was cloudy, rain threatening any moment. He watched the wind usher the laden clouds across the sky, breaths dragging as blinks grew longer. 

As though the very heavens themselves mourned the passing of him, the skies opened up, the hush of rain the last thing Malcolm heard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That he's barely alive on his best days. That the manic energy that propels him is trapped in his sleeping mind, the mind that may never be the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many lovely comments! You more than earned the next chapter after all that! Without further ado, let the angst train roll...

Even if it wasn't pouring rain Gil wouldn't have wasted time with the building's buzzer, reasoning the countless phone calls and voicemails he's left are warning enough that he's coming over. 

Jessica had given Gil a key when Malcolm first moved into the apartment, she was hesitant and nearly retracted it twice before finally pressing it into his hand. _For_...she'd not been able to bring herself to voice that they might fail him. Again.

" _Br_ _ight!"_ Gil calls as soon as he wrenches the door open, Sunshine's chirping the only response.

Malcolm had had a housewarming party, if having Gil over for dinner after he'd moved in could be called such a thing. Gil could see Jessica in Malcolm's gestures that night, hesitant but for a whole different reason, as he'd offered a key to Gil. The older man had never told him that he already had one, didn't place further guilt onto what was already bowing his shoulders. Those keys became as much a part of him as his gun and wedding ring, he never dared to leave the house without it; a charm to ward off the possibility.

The sirens in the distance do nothing to slow Gil's pace as he takes the stairs two at a time, fighting every bit of training that urges him to pull his weapon and clear the building. Bright has only ever been a danger to himself, Malcolm had made sure of that. 

The open floor plan means it doesn't take but one glance to spy the prone form, silhouetted against the windows it could be little more than rumpled bedclothes, but Dani and Gil know that's not the case. 

Gil doesn't hesitate to throw himself onto the bed next to Malcolm, his head lolling at the motion, Dani hesitating at the foot, trying to keep herself together.

"Help me get him on the floor." Gil knows it doesn't take two people to lift the slight form that is Malcolm Bright, but right now he needs someone to help him carry the weight. With Gil supporting his torso and Dani taking his legs they move him onto the floor before his window, Gil rearranging his body into recovery position.

"Ambulance is here." Dani announces, the lights strobing in the street. Voices filter up from the stairwell, the paramedics announcing themselves, looking for their patient. Dani answers, moving back through the apartment, leaving Gil crouched next to Malcolm. After all the horrors he's seen on the job, it's the image before him that he knows will haunt him for the rest of his days. Malcolm finally looks at peace, the erratic energy that fuels him, the tension that's carefully buttoned up in his suits, has been dismissed; he looks relieved.

Dani's there, pulling him away as the medics start their dance. Numbers and questions and names and observations battle the sound of rain to be heard.

The sharp tang of vomit pulls Gil back, the ragged choking as Bright struggles for breath buckles his knees. The paramedics are saying something and Dani is nodding, taking in every word that Gil's mind can't begin to process. Gil feels panic stir within him as the medics carry Bright away from him, him who'd promised to protect him all those years ago and has failed nearly every day since. Malcolm isn't fighting being strapped down and Gil's brain supplies he was too late before he sees the unsteady rise and fall of his chest. Gil follows the paramedics, he'd let his kid out of his sight once today and he'll be damned if he does it a second time.

"Gil." He doesn't want to stop, doesn't want to think how Malcolm is disappearing down the stairs without him, that his hesitation could cost him knowing where they're taking him. But something in her voice slows his steps and the look he casts over his shoulder at her softens when he takes her in, hand pressed to her mouth as though to hold in the pain.

A business card is pinned between finger and thumb, eyes filling with tears as she stares down at the text written there. 

"Dani-" He doesn't get further as the card is thrust at him, her shaking hand making the card wave. He plucks it from her, mind hopeful that this wasn't by Malcolm's own hand, that maybe it was just staged and he'll get a team in here to-

_"I show my family how much I love them in all the verbal and non-verbal ways I can."_

Gil says the only words he has, "We got him." Dani nods and swipes angrily at her eyes, steeling herself before Gil's eyes.

Gil reaches the stairwell to find it empty and fears they're already too late. He takes them faster than he should, practically launching himself into the street only to come to a dead stop at the sight before him.

Malcolm is fighting.

Fighting the restraints and the paramedics. Fighting his very existence. Gil pulls himself into the cramped space of the ambulance, taking a seat on the stiff bench by Malcolm's head, he takes his hand, pulling his attention.

"Hey kid, focus on me." _You're gonna be fine_ dies on his lips. He's lied enough to him over the years, mostly inadvertently, besides, this would be more to reassure himself, Malcolm didn't want to be _fine_ anymore.

"Sir?" The intent is clear, they need him to leave, they have work to do and he's in the way. Malcolm's hand is pulled from his, turning him on his side the small space is filled with the sharp bite of stomach acid. 

Gil's parting words are a plea as much as a warning, “No sedatives." The doors close and he's not sure they've heard. Too late he realizes he never asked what hospital they were taking him to.

"The one off ninth." Gil turns at Dani's voice, of course she would know. "JT's meeting us there." 

o~O~o

The call to Jessica had gone as well as Gil expected, he didn't have the words but it wasn't really needed. He offered to come get her himself but in a fit of maternity she told him to stay at the hospital, that someone needed to be there with him. They'd both forgotten about her driver, though it didn't matter, he was there and she would be soon enough.

Gil waited, turning his mind back as he tried to figure out how long Malcolm had been planning this, just how many signs he'd missed. His phone goes off and Gil answers out of habit, finding a text from Jessica confirming the hospital, of all the things he needed to tell her how could he forget that? 

Message sent, his screen offers the last message he'd been in-Malcolm's. His eyes automatically start reading the message, _I know it wasn't easy, not then and not all the time in between. I really appreciate everything you and Jackie did for me. You've been like a father to me and I wouldn't have made it without you in my life. I love you._

The new words like a blow. _"Show my family how much I love them."_ The affirmation taunts Gil. They were supposed to _help_ him, they were supposed to affirm his existence. Not...not...

"Family of Malcolm Bright?" Gil's on his feet, Dani and JT hovering close behind. The doctor looks them over and Gil wishes Jessica were here in all her arrogance if only so she could fight; he's not sure if he has any left.

"He's stable," There's a hesitance to her tone that Gil's heard before and he knows what's coming before she says it. His eyes closing as he breathes deep, bracing for the news. "However, we won't know the extent of the damage until he wakes up. I see he has a history-" Gil cuts her off, he doesn't want her making assumptions about Malcolm, he's different now, better. They'd thought.

"That was years ago, he's been in therapy, taking his meds..." Gil scrubs his hand over his mouth, stifling the stressed laughter that threatens, He'd taken his meds.... _he’d taken his meds._

"Can we see him?" Dani's question pulls the doctor's focus.

"And you are?" The doctor is suspicious, eyeing Dani who's been quiet this whole time.

"His fiance." JT's eyebrows raise at that.

" _Gil_." The trio turns at the sound of Jessica's voice. 

"You are?" The doctor, who's name Gil can't remember and isn't even sure was ever given, eyes Jessica.

"His _mother_ . Honestly, you're not giving away state secrets. Tell me what's happened to my son." Gil sees Dani's mouth twitch and JT mutter something about _whole family_.

"He overdosed. He was unresponsive when the paramedics got to him. They were able to purge most of the drugs from his system but until he regains consciousness we won't be able to determine the full extent of the damage." Jessica keeps the same expression on her face during the doctor's entire update, giving Dani and JT a good idea of where Malcolm learned it.

"I would like to see my son." Even though it's phrased as a request, there's nothing about her tone that suggests it's anything but a demand. 

"I understand that. Currently he is in the ICU. I can allow you and his fiance fifteen minutes, however friends will need to wait out here." Jessica raises her eyebrow at fiance but smoothly turns and gestures to Gill, "I assume you would consider his _father_ to be family?" Jessica’s smile would make a shark cringe. The doctor eyes Gil, before deciding not to press the issue.

"We allow two visitors at a time into the room." The doctor looks between the three "family" members, not making assumptions. Jessica starts forward, barely pausing long enough to give Gil a look that others would mistake for a command but he knows it's a silent plea.

He casts a glance back to Dani and JT who nod at him. Yes they have a case, but one of their own is lying in a hospital bed, so they'll be there for the duration. 

The ICU is the same as much as it is different from all those years ago. The hallways may have moved and the color scheme may have been updated, but the feeling lingers, the smell is still permeating and the very same silence weighs heavy. The rooms are arranged around the nurses station, the illusion of privacy between rooms ends there, their glass doorways all face the central desk for easy monitoring.

There are no chairs in any of the rooms, visitors aren't encouraged to linger, though Gil knows this won't deter Jessica. He's seen the woman hover in five inch heels at her son's bedside for hours without so much as limping away.

Her steps slow as they approach the room but Gil is there, taking her hand in his, the softest pressure as grounding as it is reassuring. 

The doctor stops several feet from the door and neither of Malcolm's parents force their eyes past her, knowing what they'll find.

"He's stable, remember that. He's hooked up to what looks to be a lot of machines but it's just some fluids to help him get his levels back up. He was already malnourished and clearing his system of the pills exacerbated the issue. We had to give him a mild sedative and it's marked in his chart that he doesn't react well, that's why he's restrained. Our hope is that he'll wake soon and we'll be able to move him to a normal room." Jessica nods through it all, hearing everything the doctor doesn't say.

That he's barely alive on his best days. That the manic energy that propels him is trapped in his sleeping mind, the mind that may never be the same. 

"If you have any questions or need anything, I'm Dr. Williams." Jessica finds she respects the doctor a little more as she turns and leaves them to take the final steps at their will. She didn't give false hope, she isn't overly bright and grating, she stated what needed to be said and left it to them. 

Gil lets Jessica decide when they're ready, though he can already see the too-still form through the glass. When they finally broach the room Gil feels his knees buckle, the all too familiar sight greeting him. Malcolm looks as young as he did at sixteen, after his first attempt. But that isn't what bothers him most, it's the peace that he's found. Here, the very place he hates, the place that he begged to be taken from time and again. Here he finds peace.

Jessica's hand hovers, unsure where to touch as there seem to be more tubes and wires than son in the bed. She finally settles on his wrist, careful to slide her fingers under the tubing taped there. Silent tears track down her face, all the questions she can't voice crumbling her from the inside out so Gil does the same thing he did all those years ago, put his arm around her and try to keep her together the best he can.

o~O~o

When Jessica and Gil finally make their way back to the waiting room, Dani is surprised that she's even acknowledged by the older woman.

"If you'd like to see him, his room is straight back through the doors. Room 3." Dani nods and casts a glance to Gil who reassures her with a tight smile, that’s all she needs before she slips past the nurses station and down the hall. She freezes in the door to his room, the memory of how they found him still burned into the front of her mind.

She doesn't realize she's crossed the few feet to his bed until the feel of warm skin beneath her fingers pulls her back, she's holding his hand.

She wonders if he would hate this, though if the text is anything to go by, he might have actually enjoyed the gesture. _Thanks for being my friend._

"You could've just asked. I would've said yes. How about when you wake-up you ask? Ok?" She fights the tears that threaten, fearing that he would think its' only because she pities him, but if he's half the profiler she knows him to be, he should be able to tell that couldn't be further from the truth.

"Ma'am?" The nurses voice startles her. "I'm sorry," Dani nods, knowing what's coming even as she realizes she lost her fifteen minutes with him to crying. She studies his face a moment more, noting how at ease he looks, leaning over the railing she presses a kiss to his forehead.

"Don't hide from me, Malcolm. I'll fight alongside you."

o~O~o

Malcolm takes his time waking. The next morning most of the machines are cleared from his bedside and he's moved down the hall to to TICU, one step closer to out of the woods. Jessica doesn't leave his room, Gil close by. It's Dani that struggles the most. She knows she should be working the case with JT and they've setup their own routine, Dani splitting her time between work and the hospital, being home only long enough to shower and change. 

Dani's running down a lead with JT, they think it was Fabiola's mother, it fits with the little bit of profile Malcolm left them before. When her phone rings with Gil's name flashing across the screen she fights the mounting fear even as it takes her trembling fingers two tries to accept the call.

"Gil?"

"He's awake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by Captain Cliffhanger.
> 
> So what do you think? Same tiny print read way too fast apply from the first chapter?
> 
> As always, comments/kudos/emojis/random outbursts greatly appreciated and highly encouraged!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It wasn't...planned." Jessica accepts this failing like she does all others; taking it upon herself, claiming it as her own, adding another stone to the bag tied around her ankle, the one that's been threatening to drown her for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait until after the new episode to post this but you all more than earned it after so many lovely comments.

The sound of restless shifting draws Jessica's attention, Malcolm twitching, his wrists twisting and face pinching, mumbled horrors escaping his lips.

Jessica is on the bed beside him, running her hands up and down his arms, murmuring comforts to him in the hopes of grounding him. He bolts up in bed, nearly sending her off backwards if he hadn't pulled her to him, clutching her tight, eyes wild with panic and confusion.

"You're safe, I've got you." Jessica hadn’t noticed Gil disappear into the hall, flagging down the first nurse he found at the station, requesting they page Dr. Williams. Malcolm's eyes find his over Jessica's shoulder, easing a little in her grip when Gil offers him a weak smile. 

Gil had the unfortunate positioning of watching Malcolm's eyes roam his surroundings, taking in the room and the space beyond the glass walls, piecing it together and realizing what this meant. He watched as the relief that had filled Malcolm's eyes at being clutched so tightly by his mom faded, replaced with fathomless sadness. 

"Mr. Bright." Gil missed Dr. Williams approach, the doctor sweeping into the room with a force. "It's good to finally meet you. I'm Dr. Williams." Jessica only rises from the bed when Malcolm releases her, a nurse moving to raise the head of the bed for him to lean against.

Gil sees the moment Malcolm shifts, hauling up the careful facade that shows no cracks, that projects just how _fine_ he is. Starting with that disarming smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Dr. Williams." Jessica frowns, knowing his tricks as well. 

"Don't get too excited Mr. Bright, you've got a while with me yet." It seems Dr. Williams is familiar with this game too. The doctor does a quick exam, things seem to be in order as he's clearly talking fine and cognizant.

"You remember why you were brought in?" Malcolm's eyes flicker from Gil to Jessica and Dr. Williams offers for them to speak privately, but Malcolm shrugs the offer away, it's not like they didn't know.

"Normally when people are admitted under your circumstances, they're held for watch for forty-eight hours. Your mother informed me that you may already be working with someone? That you may prefer your care be turned over to them?" 

"Yes, please." The plea is thin and Gil fears he’ll slip back to being mute under the stress. Jackie had been the one to coax his voice back, but Malcolm had come so close to joining her today...Gil shoves those thoughts aside, his kid too pale, too fragile before him to be taunting the universe.

"In that case, she will determine your course of treatment. We have a few more tests to run, make sure motor function is good and I'd like to get your levels a little more stable. Any questions?" Malcolm just shakes his head and weakly thanks the doctor. He has questions, _oh so many questions_ , but none of them are for her.

Her leaving cuts the puppet strings that are holding Malcolm and he slumps into the bed, looking somehow smaller and more weary than moments before.

"I'm sorry." He starts, the words too small and vague to encompass.

"Malcolm, why didn't you say something. To anyone?"

"It wasn't...planned." Jessica accepts this failing like she does all others; taking it upon herself, claiming it as her own, adding another stone to the bag tied around her ankle, the one that's been threatening to drown her for years.

And somehow that makes it so much worse. He can see the worry fill their eyes, see Gil shrink under the weight. Under the implication that anything said to him could trigger _this._ "Gil, it wasn't...I didn't...." Malcolm's body is already too worn for this fight.

"Mr. Bright, good to see you awake." A familiar nurse bustles in, a new bag of fluids in her hands. "I'm sure your fiance will be so happy to see you!" Her chatter fills the silence as she deftly changes out the bags and checks the line.

"My...? I'm sorry, I think-" Malcolm starts but Gil cuts him off.

"I'll go call her and let her know you're awake." Gil ducks out the door as Malcolm's mind spins. He hates that Gil left, believing that his words were the cause of this. And now Eve, claiming to be his fiance. Would his mother never cease? 

"You called Gabrielle?" He focuses on the one thing that makes sense in this whole mess. 

"I did. I figured you'd be more...comfortable speaking to her. Though why you still see her is beyond me. There are-"

"No other office has suckers." The words cut her off and she frowns at him softly. She won't fight the one person that may be able to fix this, she was just grateful the therapist had agreed in light of the circumstances. Movement catches Malcolm's eye and he turns to see Gil hovering in the doorway, smirking at his sucker comment. Edrisa _still_ talked about suckers and Gil feared that would be the kid's legend.

o~O~o

"The actions were my own. _Don't take them from me._ " Malcolm's chest heaves, fingers clenching the sheets.

Dani neatly avoids crashing into the doorframe, not fully believing that Malcolm was awake. But the sight of him propped up in bed and talking has her clutching the doorframe and taking a moment. _We weren't too late._ This _time._

"Dani?" Malcolm's call draws Gil and Jessica's attention to her and she suddenly feels silly for rushing over. Surely that wasn't what Gil had intended when he'd called, it was just an update, not a summoning.

Jessica rises from the chair next to his bed and with a look to Gil announces, "I think I'm going to get some coffee." Their approach to the doorway forces Dani in and Jessica pauses before stepping through, "Malcolm, next time you get engaged do be sure to tell your mother.

"Fiance?" Malcolm looks to Dani who is trying her best to look innocent.

"Yeah, well, they're pretty strict on who they let into the ICU." Fear and shame flicker across Malcolm's face, he hadn't expected her to come and that hurts. Too much is between them; Malcolm can't bring himself to meet her eyes but the steadying breath Dani takes draws his attention back to her side of the room.

"You're not broken." Wide blue eyes lock on her, wary as she crosses the small room and stops beside the bed. "That day," Dani gestures vaguely, "You said you were broken and couldn't be fixed. I don't believe that."

"Dani-" Malcolm starts but for once he's lost for words. 

" _N_ _o_." Dani starts pacing beside the bed. "You don't get to Dani me. I almost lost you. After everything and I almost-" Each word gets rougher as she fights the tears before she finally whirls on Malcolm. "Tell me why." Rough swipes take the tears from her cheeks. 

"I just...I can't anymore. I hurt everyone around me and that was before everyone knew who I was. I changed my name so that I wouldn't be The Surgeon's son, but that doesn't matter now. Not only do they know who I am, but the world knows just how he broke me." Malcolm's chest heaves, each word getting louder. " _I am my father's son_." He spits the last words, a challenge.

Dani gets in his face, breath a lover's caress as she whispers the words, "The fuck you are."

He studies her, eyes searching every inch of her face, seeking a crack, anything that he can use to lie to himself and finding none his eyes fall closed. He feels her weight on the bed beside him, feels her hand slide under his trembling one, an offer that he doesn't feel he deserves.

“If you’ll let me, I'll fight alongside you." He’s only ever had people want to fight for him, he’s never had someone want to fight with him. So he tangles his fingers with hers, the cold reassuring and soothing. Maybe he doesn’t deserve this, doesn’t deserve her, but she knows who exactly who he is and still wants to stand with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Thank you to everyone for your comments and kudos, I really appreciate them, they basically sustain me.
> 
> I hope this end was at the very least decent. Feel free to yell at me in the comments :D

**Author's Note:**

> Do you need good news, something to pick you up after that abysmal first chapter? I have this whole thing written!  
> And, this is a limited time offer, but if you comment in the next *incoherent mumbles* the next chapter will be posted in a reasonable amount of time.  
> Yeah, I don't trust infomercials either.  
> Hope this wasn't terrible!  
> Comments, emojis, random outbursts and/or kudos greatly appreciated!


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